1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a capillary array used for a capillary array electrophoresis apparatus which separates and analyzes samples such as DNA and protein.
2. Conventional Art
An application technology in which an array is constituted by combining a plurality of capillaries, an electrophoresis medium and a sample to be separated and analyzed are supplied to the respective capillaries and moved therethrough to thereby separate and analyze the object sample is well known, wherein a sample such as DNA and protein labelled by a fluorescent material is supplied to the capillaries. Such application technology is, for example, disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,366,608, 5,529,679, 5,516,409, 5,730,850, 5,790,727, 5,582,705, 5,439,578 and 5,274,240. In view of a through-put of the separation and analysis, it is much more advantageous to use electrophoresis with multi capillaries rather than electrophoresis with a flat plate gel.
JP-A-9-96623 (1997) discloses an application technology which separates and analyzes a fluorescent labelled sample through electrophoresis by making use of a multi-capillaries.
A capillary array electrophoresis apparatus is basically constituted by such as a capillary array, an excitation light system including a laser beam source, a light receiving optical system which detects fluorescence and a voltage application unit which causes electrophoresis. In such capillary array electrophoresis apparatus the capillary array is constituted by aligning a plurality of capillaries in a plane shape, and a laser beam is irradiated to the capillaries which are filled by a sample (fluorescent sample) labelled by a fluorescent material in parallel direction with the capillary aligning direction, then, through the lens action of the capillaries the laser beam is condensed and the laser beam is irradiated to the fluorescent sample in all of the capillaries when the laser beam is irradiated, the fluorescent sample emits fluorescence. Through detection by the light receiving optical system of the fluorescence emitted from the fluorescent sample in a direction substantially perpendicular to the laser beam irradiation direction, the measurement of the sample is performed.
The above patent document discloses a schematic diagram of a detection portion for the array, but does not disclose an entire structure of a specific capillary array for assembling the same into the electrophoresis apparatus.